Complimentary football is the reason the Vikings are 6-1. Offense, defense, special teams. Every unit made big plays. Every unit was needed for the win. Still, the Vikings didn’t play a clean game. Too many penalties. Missed kicks. Missed tackles. Missed throws. A clean game is out there. I can’t wait to see it. I can’t wait to see a bunch of them.
The ending wouldn’t have been as nerve-thrashing as it was if Greg Joseph hadn’t doinked his fifth extra point attempt. A one-score game could’ve been a two-score game if his kick had been a few inches closer to the middle of the uprights.
The Vikings offense scored five touchdowns but this win is mostly on the opportunistic play of the defense. Two of the five touchdowns were served up by takeaways. An interception and a recovery of a fumbled punt. The interception gave the offense the ball on the Cardinals 31-yard line. Four plays later, Dalvin Cook took the ball into the end zone. The fumbled punt recovery gave the offense the ball on the Cardinals 25-yard line. Four plays later, Kirk Cousins connected with K.J. Osborn for a touchdown. That touchdown gave the Vikings a 34-26 lead. Joseph’s doink kept it a one-score game with 8:36 to play. The Cardinals had the ball three times in that final 8:36. Those possessions ended with an interception, a turn-over on downs, and consecutive sacks on the final plays to close out the game and the win. If the Vikings offense had done anything after the interception and/or the turn over on downs, this game does not have a nerve-thrashing ending. The Vikings defense closed out this game, and the win, beautifully.
It’s still nice that the offense scored five touchdowns. It was the first time this season that the Vikings had passed 30 points. For an offense with a bunch of playmakers, 30 points shouldn’t be an outlier.
The Vikings gained 173 yards on the ground. Dalvin Cook had his most productive game.
20 carries, 111 yards, and a touchdown
Alexander Mattison complimented Cook well.
5 carries, 40 yards, and a touchdown.
Kirk Cousins even “sprinted” 17 yards for a touchdown. Despite the nice rushing game, this might’ve been a season-worst performance by the offensive line. Cousins was sacked three times. It felt like more as he was harassed the entire game.
When he was able to throw, Cousins spread the ball around.
Justin Jefferson: 6 catches, 98 yards
Adam Thielen: 6 catches, 67 yards
Dalvin Cook: 5 catches, 40 yards
Irv Smith Jr.: 4 catches, 28 yards
K.J. Osborn and Johnny Mundt caught touchdowns.
It feels like Jefferson can roll out of bed and have 100 yards. Considering that he had no catches, or targets, for much of the middle of the game, 98 yards is far less than he should’ve had. He simply can’t go nearly half the game without the ball in his hands. It’s not good for the offense.
If Cousins hadn’t thrown high on a couple of passes, this game might’ve had a much less stressful ending. Late in the first quarter, with a 3rd-and-two from the Cardinals 38-yard line, Cousins threw high to a wide open Jefferson. A misfire on fourth down ended a terrific scoring opportunity. With just under four minutes to play in the first half, Cousins missed high an open Osborn. That misfire forced the Vikings to punt for the first time in the game. They had opportunities to score much more than 14 points in the first half.
The Vikings defense brought home this game. Kyler Murray is one of the most difficult to sack quarterbacks in the league. Za’Darius Smith caught him three times. After his first sack, he honored new Ring of Honor member Jared Allen, with a calf-roping celebration. It was beautiful. Smith had four tackles for loss and a tipped pass. He was arguably (with Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins) the most dominant player on the field. Harrison Phillips’ sack of Murray ended the game. Pressure forced a poorly thrown deep pass that was intercepted by Harrison Smith. Camryn Bynum collected a second interception in the fourth quarter. The only running that the Cardinals had going was Murray’s scrambling.
The Vikings defense is getting better with each game.
This was a nerve-thrashing game. I think that any game against Kyler Murray is going to be that way. DeAndre Hopkins is always open. He had his way with Cam Dantzler Sr. Hopkins has his way with nearly any cornerback opposite him. He finished with 12 catches for 159 and a beauty of a one-handed touchdown catch. Itty-bitty Rondale Moore is a problem. He added seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown. Murray, Hopkins, and Moore were the Cardinals offense. All three are scary football players.
The Vikings are now 6-1. Next up is a road game with the Washington Commanders in Week 9.
Congratulations to Jared Allen on his much-deserved induction into the Vikings Ring of Honor. Next stop: Canton.
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